Pattern pieces cut from layers of sheet-type work material particularly those cut from leather hides often have apertures such as holes or notches cut therein. In many instances, these notches are cut into arcuate edges of the pattern piece. Historically, cutting these notched pattern pieces involved a two step process. Generally, the notches are first cut into the work material with a punch or a cutting blade, and then the edges of the pattern piece are cut typically using a wheel type cutter. Cutting the notches, particularly if there are many, is in and of itself a labor intensive, time consuming process. Following the notching step with the subsequent step of cutting the peripheral edges further increases the time required to cut the pattern piece from the work material.
Another difficulty occurs when a series of different notch patterns or differently shaped notches are required in the same pattern piece. When this occurs it is necessary to have on hand, and use several different notch cutting tools as well as to properly layout the notch pattern. These steps can greatly and detrimentally effect the amount of time it takes to cut a pattern piece from the work material. In addition, because of the requirement for multiple operations, the likelihood for errors to be made increases.
Based on the foregoing, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a notching and cutting apparatus that improves upon or overcomes the drawbacks of prior art devices.